Wendy is a Novacastrian, and Ashkan is from Iran. Instead of heading to Shiraz, Iran for photos we met in the more obvious location of Newcastle and did a pre-wedding session.

When they met for the first time, it was on a bench next to the Harbour. We made sure to head there and take a couple of shots. I wonder how many people realise how life-changing their first meetings will be?

I met them at the old train station in the middle of Newcastle, and then we fanned out from there along the foreshore to Nobby’s Beach and wandered around the dunes on the beach.

Those sand dunes create their own kind of magic, but then so does the beachside. And why is that? It might be because it’s related to our memories of time spent at the beach, which is often relaxed, calm, and inviting. We usually show up when the weather is good, the sun is out, and work is put to one side. That might just be it.

As it got closer to sunset we headed around to Carrington. Despite having lived in Newcastle for a few years, it’s probably only the second time I’ve been to Carrington. For me, it’s a reminder of an older Newcastle, back when BHP and Comsteel were both humming along. There are still the coal loaders there. And there are huge silos that make for a bigger backdrop.

All there is the Pump House. A building that reflects that older era. A substantial building was a former hydraulic power station, built in 1877. Extra credit in the history lesson here: it was built only a year after the first one in the UK, and it was built years earlier than the one in Sydney.

The sun dropped. The golden glow hit just right. And it was just another beautiful winter’s afternoon, which always emphasises how great Newcastle and the Hunter is.